Below you will find a selection of the most recent entries from bloggers in our Work/Business section.
To view the entries from individual bloggers, click on the links below:
- Claire Doole - Claire Doole Communications
Claire is a former BBC correspondent and international spokeswoman who is passionate about helping people communicate with confidence. Since 2006, she has successfully trained hundreds of professionals in the art of presenting and public speaking, talking to the media, managing communications in a crisis, and writing for the web. In addition, she has coached C-level executives and public figures to give powerful TEDx and TED style talks in Europe and the Middle East. A Swiss and UK national, Claire trains and coaches in French and English.
- Elizabeth Ballin - Life Coach
As a long time member of the international community in Geneva, Elizabeth Ballin has been coaching adults and students from all parts of the world. She has coached business professionals, musicians/artists, couples, families and adolescents. She is a fully accredited Life Coach by the International Coaching Federation. Elizabeth Ballin, Life Coach
- Patrick Hoza - US Tax & Financial Services
Since 1990, Patrick has many years of experience with US individual expatriate taxation under his belt, including High Net Worth Individuals, streamline/voluntary disclosure filings and tax consulting, as well as working with large multinationals like Novartis, BP, Hewlett Packard and General Electric. He has extensive knowledge in serving both US expatriates and resident and non-resident aliens with their US tax-related issues. Patrick Hoza is a Tax Director at US Tax & Financial Services, with extensive experience in all aspects of Individual US tax and Expatriation, including Hight Net Worth Individuals and large multinationals.
Patrick started his career in 1990 in California, with Westpro Ltd., as a Senior Tax Consultant, then spent the middle part of his career working at KPMG and Ernst & Young. During his time with Ernst & Young, he worked and lived in Russia, France and finally Switzerland. He has gained a valuable working knowledge of the respective income tax regulations in all of these countries.
Patrick holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Colorado, is a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents and is a Certified Acceptance Agent.
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Melitta Campbell - Business Coach
Business Coach and Mentor with nearly 3 decades of business experience and a passion for helping women confidently build a business they love. She is also the founder of the Swiss Entrepreneurs Club and president of the Swiss Riviera Toastmasters Club in Montreux. Originally from Wales, she now lives in Montreux in a chalet she has renovated with her husband overlooking the Swiss Alps. - Sunita Sehmi - Walk The Talk
Founder of Walk The Talk, Sunita has been training, developing and now coaching Business Communication skills in both companies and educational establishments for over twenty years. She has a passion for helping people to maximise their potential and created Walk The Talk with the sole aim to drive each and every client to perform their best.
- Robert Harris- Forth Capital
With over 25 years experience working for some of the major financial institutions in the City of London, Robert is a founding partner of Forth Capital, the leading expat financial advisory company in Switzerland. Regulary quoted in newspaper articles and magazines, he is well placed to advise expats on a variety of financial issues that may arise during their time living in Switzerland.
- Debbie Croft - Croft Coaching
As the founder of Croft Coaching, Debbie has a passion for helping people overcome challenges, embrace change and live life to the full; with an ethos of “work hard, play hard”.
- Sarah Santacroce - Simplicity
A certified social media, internet marketing, and virtual event specialist, Sarah enjoys every aspect of small business marketing. Through her own business, Simplicity, it is her mission to help other small businesses and solopreneurs increase their visibility and use social media tools as part of their marketing strategy.
- Diana Ritchie - SSC Sàrl
A Director at Swiss Career Connections, Diana will provide you with some useful tips for job hunting.
By Debbie Croft, Croft Coaching
Is this known as “having it all”? Can you even have a career and family without the burden of guilt, overwhelm and fatigue? There isn’t a text book standard response to this. Why? Because everyone’s definition of “having it all” is unique and it’s based on your own exclusive value system and aspirations.
Step 1: Self-awareness
The 1st step therefore when considering how to navigate career and family is to have a very good understanding of what is important to you, as a parent and as a professional.
As a parent – if someone asked your child 10 years from now to describe you as a Mum or Dad over the last 10 years, what do you want them to say? Who inspires you as a role model as a parent and why? What do you want to copy from your own parents? What do you not want to copy from your own parents? If you take time to consider these questions over a short period, coming back to them several times, you will soon have a sound awareness of your values as a parent. Now, take these values and prioritise them, which ones are the most important for you to honour?
As a Professional – what are your short term and long term goals? What are you longing for in your career? Consider skills and strengths you love using – how much do you use them in your role today? What do you want others to be saying about you at work – your peers, your team, your leaders? Again, project forward 10 years from now – what have you achieved? What are you proud of in your career?
Step 2: “What ifs…..”
Best case scenario, when you look at these 2 lists, what does life and work look like if you are honouring your priority values and following your professional aspirations? Take away the “impossible” for this exercise and imagine that it’s all possible, i.e. dare to dream! This will expand your ideas. Ideally brainstorm this with a friend, trusted colleague or your coach.
By Steve Cashmore, Forth Capital
This is an area that needs so much investigation and a decision cannot be taken lightly. But we live in a different world and the pension regulator has now offered a freedom and choice! The issue is that the new UK pension freedom rules of defined contribution (personal pensions) have not been extended to the defined benefit world (company schemes).
So many factors now need to be considered…. Spouse’s options, Health, Lump Sum Death Benefits, Tax Free Cash (Pension Commencement Lump Sum), Financial Strength and Stability of the Employer, Flexibility of the Income, Inheritance, Investment control, etc etc etc.
Some company pension schemes only offer return of contributions in the event of a member's death before retirement. In my many years as an advisor I have seen many company schemes where this is the case… the worst I have seen was a company scheme that had a value of over £600,000 yet in the event of the members death before retirement his family would receive only return of his contributions approx £65,000 in this case… Explain that to your spouse or to your family!!
By Mark Routen, Forth Capital
Things are changing at HMRC, the changes are happening fast and they are certainly not in favour of the expat community. The Government in the UK inherited a vast black hole in the finances and this needs to be filled. They have approached this by arming HMRC to extract as much tax as possible together with running a very successful PR campaign calling into question the morals of those who act within the law to arrange their taxation affairs in an efficient way. They are trying to be seen as a type of Robin Hood taking from the rich and saving taxes for the poor.
This has been a very effective use of the politics of envy and the man in the street now sees the rich as a fair target. This goes further as to identify the rich - in people’s mind they use buzz words and unfortunately for expats the words Expat and Non Dom figure highly on this list.
The end result of this is that we are seeing creeping legislation, which starts off as a fairly mild restriction of allowances or increase in tax but then creeps up year after year until it becomes a real issue. They are already acting in three areas of attack which affect many expats: –
- Taxation of UK residential property owned by non-residents
- Restriction of pension tax relief and benefits
- Attacks on Non UK Domiciled individuals, both entering and leaving the UK.
By Debbie Croft, Croft Coaching
This is such a personal journey that there is no script to follow. There is no right or wrong way of balancing parenthood and professional life. Each person has their unique way of balancing the two, based on their own value system, needs, motivations and aspirations. The only criteria here is that you find your way, you understand your own value system, needs, motivations and aspirations; so that you design the best balance for yourself; so that you can thrive at home and at work!
Here are some tips to help you best navigate these new waters, where you become the queen of juggling and sharing yourself with many! Depending on how soon you return to work, also be aware that typically it takes 9 months for your body to return to normal, hormonally and physiologically.
By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk
The relationship between a mother and daughter remains constant, with their unconditional love for one another….But imagine taking this relationship into the business world? Gabrielle and her daughter, Valerie, have done just that! They have figured out how to complement each other's strengths and together they have created a contemporary bistro/boutique called L’Adresse.
The “disease to please” is prevailing in this warm, friendly welcoming restaurant. A red staircase leading you to L’Adresse has the atmosphere of a cabaret. When you reach the first floor you are far far away from the hustle and bustle of the city and you are met with chic décor, great food and a large terrace overflowing with greenery.
Tell us about yourself.
This is my first job that I ever had. Before this I was a housewife. So I had nothing to lose. I think it is so important to pass on this message to all stay-at-home mums, either because of choice, or because you were forced out by the labour market: yes, there are still ways for you to have your dream job! There are opportunities; granted, for me it was a slow transformation from housewife to restauranteur, but I had courage and conviction. Sometimes I feel all housewives have great talent but they remain hidden, as they get no exposure or recognition.
